What Is Set‐Based Design?

Abstract On February 4, 2008, Admiral Paul Sullivan, Commander of the Naval Sea Systems Command, sent out a letter entitled: Ship Design and Analysis Tool Goals. The purpose of the widely distributed memorandum was to state the requirements and high‐level capability goals for NAVSEA design synthesis and analysis tools. In this memo, Admiral Sullivan expressed the need for evolving models and analysis tools to be compatible with, among other things, set‐based design (SBD). Admiral Sullivan's memo was a major step toward improving ship design programs with new, more powerful analytical support tools but many have asked, “What is Set‐Based Design and how does it relate to Naval Ship Design?” SBD is a complex design method that requires a shift in how one thinks about and manages design. The SBD paradigm can replace point‐based design construction with design discovery; it allows more of the design effort to proceed concurrently and defers detailed specifications until trade‐offs are more fully understood. This paper describes the principles of SBD citing improvements SBD in design practice that have set the stage for SBD, and relating these principles to current Navy ship design issues.